The Last High Templar
by ThePheonixKing
Summary: What happens, when the weight of the world is placed upon your shoulders? When the world keeps doubling the load? You need to find someone to share the burden, but he had no one. Because he was broken. He was powerful. He was empty. He was famous. He was the last High Templar. Dragon Age Inquisition Overpowered/Alone Inquisitor, Hardened/Recovering Leliana.
1. AN

AN: So, this is my first attempt at writing, and I honestly have no clue when my first chapter is going up. So I'm posting this to say a few things.

This is if you didn't notice somehow, a Dragon Age: Inquisition fan fiction. That said, I don't know how OOC I'm gonna be, but I will try to stay within the bounds of reason.

I've always been complete and utter shit at writing romance, and unfortunately, I'm trying it this time, mostly because I want to get better at it.

I know that there are those who like to "flame" others in the comments, specifically authors. I don't care if you do, your insults are worthless to me, just like the people making them. If you have constructive criticism for me, I will happily read it, as I need all the advice I can get.

I could not have done this without one of my favorite authors of all time, AngelSlayer135. Go check out his current project, "Lord of Darkness" as it is an absolutely amazing Harry Potter fan fiction if you're interested.

The last one, I really will try to update as much as I can, I just have a lot on my plate right now. I should be uploading once a week, maybe a little less.

Thank you, if I even get readers!


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything besides my original work, all other credit goes to BioWare for making such a great game, at least great in my mind. That said, I will be using lines and dialogue from the game, especially for the first chapter. I'm not going to bother with discerning between my work and BioWare's, as it's a complete pain in the ass.**

Everything ached. That was his first coherent thought. His second was along the lines of, "Where am I?". From there, he tried to get up, only to realize he was shackled in heavy manacles, and tied down to the ground, surrounded by four guards whose armor he did not recognize. He looked down to see a glowing, green crack flaring in his hand. He only managed to tear his eyes away from it when he heard the door open and looked up. Entering the room were two women, one garbed similar to a warrior and clearly enraged. The other darker and shadowy, her face set into a carefully guarded mask.

This was the one that terrified him.

"Tell me why we shouldn't kill you now. The Conclave is destroyed. Everyone who attended is dead. Except for you."

"What do you mean everyone is dead?" was all I could muster up to say. All of them? The entire Conclave?

The warrior marched up to him, and yanked his manacles upwards just as the mark flared yet again, "Explain this!"

"I... can't."

"What do you mean you can't?"

"I don't know what that is or how it got there."

Her face twisted up as she yelled, "You're lying!"

He could see the tensing of her arm and braced himself for the seemingly inevitable blow, but before it could reach him, the shadowy one moved forward and intercepted her, pushing her gently but firmly away, "We need him, Cassandra."

The true gravity of the situation hit him. The Conclave had housed hundreds of Mages and Templars alike, and Most Holy, Divine Justinia herself. There was very little doubt in his mind as of now, that his interrogators were the Left and Right Hands of the Divine. His voice now broken and whispered, "I can't believe it. All those people... dead."

Her voice soft and matter-of-fact, the shadowy one picked up the interrogation as now, Cassandra, attempted to calm down, "Do you remember what happened? How this began?"

"I remember running. Things were chasing me. And then… a woman?"

"A woman?"

"She reached out to me, but then…"

It seemed Cassandra was more level-headed now, "Go to the forward camp, Leliana. I will take him to the rift."

Leliana... she was the one who helped stop the fifth Blight... at least now I have a name for the face- well shadow, he filed away the information for later, before returning to the real world, "What did happen?"

Cassandra yanked him up as she replaced the shackles with a tie of rope, "It will be easier to show you."

As he was taken outside he saw the massive, growing crack in the sky and stopped walking, his head tilted upwards slightly as he stared at it.

Cassandra nodded in understanding, "We call it the Breach. It's a massive rift into the world of demons that grows larger with each passing hour. It's not the only such rift, just the largest. All were caused by the explosion at the conclave."

Still staring he cleared his throat, "An explosion can do that?"

"This one did. Unless we act, the breach may grow until it swallows the world."

The Breach grew and with it, pain racked his body as the mark flared into burning green light. Arthur flinched as his knees buckled, but he refused to collapse. Focusing on breathing deeply, he almost missed when Cassandra said, "Each time the Breach expands, your mark spreads… and it is killing you. It may be the key to stopping this but there isn't much time."

"I'll do it. If it can help these people, then there was no question in the first place." His jaw set into a determined line, he glared at the Breach. Cassandra had been slightly surprised before nodding gratefully.

"I'm glad you feel that way, I understand that I've not been-"

"No apologies needed. You've had and still have good reason to suspect me." He knew he had interrupted, but the apology was unnecessary. "Now, I'm ready when you are."

Cassandra nodded before escorting him through the town, taking notice of how he ignored the scowls and glares from the townsfolk, moving briskly through Haven. As they reach the gates, soldiers open it before them and Cassandra pulls out a dagger before hesitating, "There will be a trial. I can promise no more."

He smiled slightly, "It is more than I expected, and you have my gratitude." As she cut the ropes, he made sure to keep his sleeves down to his wrists, remembering that which he wanted to hide.

_**Flashback**_

_They had taken a very fine knife and carefully carved an intricate design into his inner-left forearm. He had flinched at first, but they were very careful not to do damage to one so young._

"_Why are we doing this, sir?" He watched fascinated as the knight finished the lines and gently taken a linen cloth and wiped away the small amount of blood there before looking up and smiling at him._

"_Well Arthur, you have passed your first trial, and after that a recruit is considered an official member of the elite. This tattoo will be your symbol, your reminder that you are a High Templar. That you are one of us; that you are never alone._

_**Flashback end**_

Yet here he was, alone. The Last of their order, and the only one left to inherit the title of Knight-Paladin.

"-thur. Arthur!" He snapped out of his trance and returned to the present, seeing Cassandra staring at him, looking rather irritated.

"My apologies, I... I was remembering something... something that I thought long forgotten." He was truly apologetic, forcibly reminding himself to keep moving. He saw Cassandra glance at him with something akin to sympathy before catching up with him and leading him on.

"Where exactly are we going?" he asked, shaking off the remnants of his memories, and focusing on the task at hand.

"The Breach is not the only rift, just by far the largest. Your mark must be tested on something smaller, to confirm that it is the key to stopping all of this." He respected the no-nonsense explanation, having spent far too long in Orlais to stomach the long-winded speeches that you would get when asking something as simple as asking for directions. As they were going over a stone bridge with soldiers standing guard on it, a massive impact caused the bridge to collapse, sending them down to tumble across the ice. Another one crashed into the ice, and a shade rose from the remnants of it.

He could hear Cassandra yelling at him to stay behind her, but just as she ran forward to take care of the shade, another one rose from a pool of green light. Ghastly and grotesque, it started gliding towards him. He spotted a glint to his left, and saw a hand-and-a-half bastard sword lying on a few crates nearby, rolling towards it just as the demon's claws rent the air he had been standing in a few moments ago, he grabbed it, spinning around to face his enemy in the same motion.

He lopped off the arm on it's way towards his midsection before ducking the second strike, marveling at how little response it showed to it's missing limb, and running it through. As he yanked the blade out of the corpse, he came face to face with a rather sharp blade pointed at him.

"Drop your blade right. _Now._"

Pushing down the urge to make a biting comment, he nodded readily, "Of course."

"Wait," sighing she continued, "I cannot expect for you to continue through the valley unarmed, especially since I cannot protect you every minute. I should remember how readily you agreed to come."

He nodded and sifted through the remains of the demons, gathering their essence for later use. She handed him a few potions on the way, saying, "Take them. Maker only knows what else is in the valley.

Continuing on, slaying demons along the way, they hear fighting up ahead, "That must be the rift. We must hurry,"

"Who's up there?"

"You'll see soon enough, for now they need our help." was all Cassandra had to say as she drew her sword and jogged forward. He unsheathed his and dropped down the stone wall as he caught up to her. Noticing both the burning rubble and bodies around him, he moved forward to assist the nameless dwarf, running through a demon that was attacking him and decapitating it as it fell to the dirt. He felt an impact on his lower back and rolled as he was sent to the ground. Blocking the next strike and countering by slamming his armored gauntlet into the demon's face, he stabbed it through the throat.

"Quickly, before more come through!" was all he heard before he feels someone grab his wrist and hold it towards the rift, and watching as a green beam comes out of the Anchor and slams into the Rift, sealing and dispersing it. "What did you do?" is all he asks the Elven mage before massaging his wrist slightly.

"_I_ did nothing. The credit is yours." The mage glances at his actions slightly apologetically, "My apologies, I did not wish for more demons to come through."

"I understand, I'm just glad this damn thing could help."

The corners of the elf's mouth twitch as he says, "Whatever magic opened the Breach in the sky also placed that mark upon your hand. I theorized the mark might be able to close the rifts that have opened in the Breach's wake – and it seems I was correct."

Cassandra pipes up as she shakes the demon blood off her blade, "Meaning it could also close the Breach itself."

"Possibly, but there is no certainty."

The elf smiles slightly as he turns back to him, "It seems you hold the key to our salvation."

"Good to know! Here I thought we'd be ass-deep in demons forever." The dwarf's voice sounds from his left, causing him to turn to his left as he approaches. "Varric Tethras: rogue, storyteller, and occasionally unwelcome tag-along." The dwarf smirks and winks at Cassandra as he says this last one, causing her to scowl in annoyance.

"Are you with the Chantry, or…?"

The elf laughs slightly, "Was that a serious question?"

"Technically I'm a prisoner, just like you."

Cassandra continues to scowl as she states, "I brought you here to tell your story to the Divine. Clearly that is no longer necessary."

"Yet, here I am. Lucky for you, considering current events."

He smirked mildly, "It's good to meet you, Varric."

The elf seems to raise one of his absurdly thin eyebrows slightly, "You may reconsider that stance, in time."

Varric laughs, "Aww. I'm sure we'll become great friends in the valley, Solas."

Cassandra's scowl deepens as she steps towards Varric, ""Absolutely not. Your help is appreciated, Varric, but-"

"-Have you been in the valley lately, Seeker? Your soldiers aren't in control anymore. You need me."

Her scoff reminds him of his Great Aunt Lucille's, especially when he tried to cover for his sister.

The elf steps towards him slightly, ""My name is Solas, if there are to be introductions. I'm pleased to see you still live."

From the little he knew about Varric, he expected the wise-crack, "He means, 'I kept that mark from killing you while you slept.'"

"Then I have you to thank, though I am curious how you know so much about the mark?"

Solas seems to be pleased with the question, "My journeys have led me far into the Fade, and I have learned much from it. I am here to offer whatever help I can give with the Breach. If it is not dealt with, then it will not matter if we are apostate, Templar or otherwise: we will all be doomed regardless of origin."

"Will you be okay once all of this is over? People don't seem predisposed to trust Mages as of late."

"I will merely hope that those in power will remember those who helped, as well as those who did not." Solas turns to Cassandra, "Cassandra, you should know: the magic involved here is unlike any I have ever seen. Your prisoner is no mage. Indeed, I find it difficult to imagine any mage having such power."

"Understood. We must get to the forward camp quickly. One does not keep Leliana waiting for longer than is absolutely necessary."

Varric chuckles and shakes his head, "You have that one all too right."

They climb over a small pile of rubble, and continue down the steep, narrow path that is there. '_What is with this place and being as treacherous as is possible'_ Arthur chuckles at the thought. They fight past a few demons making quick work between the four of them, and continue onward.

"So, I take it you're from the Free Marches?" Varric seems legitimately curious.

"Oh?"

"Accent. I'm from Kirkwall, but you're from... further east, maybe?"

"That's for me to know, and for you to never find out." Arthur barely quells the desire to smirk as Varric rolls his eyes.

"Crap, this is going to bother me. Ansburg? Ostwick?"

He just shakes his head, "You'll never know if I have anything to say about it." His mark flares again and he flinches, taking in a sharp breath as his hand twitches.

Cassandra glances worriedly at him, "I know it's difficult, but we must keep moving. The sooner we get there, the sooner we can finish this."

They climb a stone staircase, defeating the few demons at the top. "I hope Leliana made it through all this." Cassandra only sound mildly worried, but worried nonetheless.

Varric chuckles softly, "She's resourceful, Seeker." 

Solas seems motivated to keep them moving, "We will see for ourselves at the forward camp. We're almost there."

As the gates come into sight, a Fade rift sparks into life, spitting out demons that attack the soldiers standing guard there. "Another rift!" Cassandra's blade rasps out of it's sheathe, as they hear the soldier's calling for help.

Arthur steps forward, a lunge sending the tip of his blade through a Wraith's incorporeal head before he spins slightly and slashes a Shade from 'shoulder' to 'hip'. _'Do demons even have bones? Or are they just supported purely by magic?'_ Arthur can't help but wonder as Solas blasts a Wraith with an icy spear of magic, and Cassandra bashes a shade before decapitating it. This time, as he raises his hand, he can feel his power flowing through his body, sealing the Rift.

"The Rift is gone! Open the gate!"

The soldier's salute to Cassandra, opening the gate and then shutting it as soon as they were through. Cassandra moved forward, towards where Leliana and and a Chancellor were arguing. Arthur followed, wary of this Leliana but greatly amused by the pompous prick she seemed to be thrashing.

"We must prepare the soldiers!"

"We will do no such thing."

"The prisoner must get to the temple of Sacred Ashes. It is our only chance!" she seemed thoroughly exasperated by this point.

"You have already caused enough trouble without resorting to this exercise in futility."

Leliana seemed dangerously close to slitting his throat with the way her hands kept twitching slightly, "_I_ have cause trouble?"

The horse-toothed ass really didn't know where to stop, "You, Cassandra, the Most Holy – haven't you all done enough already?"

"You're not in command here! You're a Chancellor, not the General of Andraste's armies!

"Enough! I will not have it!

They reached the two , with Arthur wisely placing himself slightly behind Cassandra, who shot him a scathing glance as Leliana arched her brow in amusement, "You made it. Chancellor Roderick, this is-"

"I know who he is." He turned towards Arthur, puffing himself up, "I hereby order you to stand down and wait to be escorted to Val Royeaux to face execution."

Arthur couldn't help it, he really couldn't. He laughed long and hard. As his chuckles subsided, "You attempt to order me? You seem to think that I give a damn about you or your orders."

_'My, my, that is a rather fascinating color'_ Arthur marveled at the brilliant shade of purple Chancellor Roderick was turning, he truly hadn't seen anything like it.

"Seeker! As Grand Chancellor of the Chantry, I hereby order you to take this criminal to Val Royeaux to face execution!" spittle flew from the Chancellor's mouth as he screamed.

Cassandra seemed rightfully offended, "'Order me'? You are a glorified clerk. A bureaucrat!"

"And you are a thug, but a thug who supposedly serves the Chantry!"

Leliana had calmed down enough to add in, "We serve the Most Holy, Chancellor, as you well know."

"Justinia is dead! We must elect her replacement, and obey _her _orders on the matter."

Arthur interrupted, "I don't know if anyone else noticed, but there seems to be this massive hole in the sky? Just thought I'd point that out," as he rolled his eyes.

The Chancellor went a _fascinating_ shade of red, "_You_ brought this on us in the first place!" he spat out before turning to Cassandra with a pleading look on his face, "Call a retreat, Seeker. Our position here is hopeless."

"We can stop this before it's too late."

"How? You won't survive long enough to reach the temple, even with all your soldiers."

Her face set into a determined line, "We must get to the temple. It's the quickest route."

Leliana shook her head, "But not the safest. Our forces can charge as a distraction while we go through the mountains."

"We lost contact with an entire squad on that path. It's too risky."

Roderick made a last-ditch attempt to assert control, "Listen to me. Abandon this now, before more lives are lost."

The breach grew and Arthur hissed in agony as pain shot through his hand, making a fist of it in an attempt to ignore it. Cassandra frowned slightly out of worry before asking, "How do _you_ think we should proceed?"

Biting back his first and second witty retorts, he thought about it only for a brief moment, "From what I can see, the best option would be to send me through the mountain pass, while the rest of you go with the soldiers, in an attempt to lessen the casualties."

The tension in the small tent was palpable. He could practically feel the burning glare from Cassandra, and the incredulous ones from the others. The one that interested him the most however, was how fast Leliana's head snapped towards him, giving him his first unobstructed view of her beautiful, if currently curious face, "And why... would you ever think that that is at all an acceptable idea in the slightest?"

"It would be quickest, as well as the most advantageous for the most people. I am unworried, even confident in my chances in getting through the pass, and this would give an advantage to the soldiers pushing towards the Temple."

Cassandra had finally had enough, "Absolutely not! If you think for a second that there is an chance of letting our only hope to stop this go al-"

Leliana cut her off with a small motion of her hand, "I'll escort him. Rest assured, he will make it through."

For a second, it looked as though Cassandra was ready to argue, before suddenly conceding the point, "Very well. Varric, Solas. Let's go, we don't have any time to waste," before turning around and walking towards the soldiers. Varric hesitated before walking over to Arthur and clasping forearms with him and nodding, "Make sure you're careful. You seem like a good kid, I don't wanna see you dead at the end of this."

Arthur nodded and returned the shake before smirking slightly, "With the all too famous Nightingale at my side, I doubt that there's anything in all of Thedas that could stop me from reaching the Temple."

Varric chuckled and shook his head slightly, "Too true... too true," before leaving and jogging after Cassandra and Solas.

He turned back to see Leliana armed and ready, her eyebrow arched slightly as she looked at him, "What are we waiting for?"

* * *

* * *

**Time Skip**

"I would request that the next time I do something this stupid, you punch me!"

He could practically hear the eye roll from under him on the ladder, "At this rate I'll do that before then."

As he got up the last ladder, he partially drew his sword from it's scabbard and stepping forward as he studied the tunnel entrance in front of him. He moved into the entrance, seeing nothing there.

"You know, you don't have to be quite as jumpy as that."

This time it was he who's eyes rolled as he muttered, "Says the person who survived and ended the fifth blight."

"I wasn't nearly this on-end after that. You have me beaten by several leagues."

He turned to her incredulously, "How? After something like that, I'd imagine you'd be jumping at your own shadow."

He could barely see the flash of Leliana's teeth in the darkened tunnel, "Because all my enemies were dead or dying."

He nodded a couple times, lacking a witty response, "Remind me to never get on your bad side then."

There was that enchanting smile again, "Why would I do that? You'd already be dead."

He stared at her for a few seconds, "Note to self, stay the hell away from the terrifying, if beautiful assassin currently within 5 feet of me."

They moved through the tunnels swiftly, encountering a few demons, "Well these guys are always unpleasant," was his only remark as he drew his sword and moved forward. His first step brought him within arms-reach of the Greater Shade, and his blade flashed, slitting the things throat before he stabbed it through the gut and yanked his sword out, ripping a hole in it's stomach. Turning back, he saw that the wraiths were already gone, and Leliana was putting her bow on her back, "Well don't you make good time! Here I thought the mission was to protect the damsel in distress from the scary demons," his voice sounded dry even to him.

Leliana arched her brow as she looked pointedly at him, as she quipped, "It is," before moving on at a brisk pace.

He pondered the statement for a second before glaring at her halfheartedly, "Hey! I'm not even a damsel! I can't be in distress," was his response to her,"

"Then you should stop acting like it."

He chuckled softly for a brief moment, "As you wish."

Fighting past a few more stray demons, they moved on until seeing a few bodies, "Guess we found the soldiers."

"That's not all of them. There must be a few more ahead," they jogged on until seeing 4 soldiers fighting the same number of demons. He stabbed one in the back before slashing another one across the chest before it grabbed him.

"Lady Leliana!"

He could see Leliana's relief as she nodded, "I'm glad to see you alive Miller. How bad are the wounded?"

"One of them got Thatcher with their claws, her arm is pretty bad, but it should be fine after a few days. Besides that, we're all relatively whole."

"Good. Get back to camp, the path is clear now, so you should be safe."

The soldier saluted before rounding up his companions and jogging the way that they had come, one of them holding her arm close to her side to help support it.

"You're a good commander."

He could see Leliana turn around with a retort ready on her lips, but stop, "I've... I've not had the best history with commanders, leaders, people as a whole. Trust me when I say, you're one of the few good ones," with that he moved on, climbing down the two ladders there swiftly, hoping to avoid the discussion. After she caught up with him, they moved down a few stone staircases, and he saw a sight that he could barely comprehend, let alone deal with.

The Temple of Sacred Ashes.

The stench of burnt bodies was thick in the air, decaying and heavy. Corpses were littered throughout the rubble frequently, their features burned and broken beyond all recognition. It was one of the most awful scenes that he had ever seen. Even Leliana seemed stunned by the sight. A small shine caught his eye, the cool glint of silver easily identifiable.

He moved towards it and picked it up, shaking away the ashes that came with it. Then he stopped dead.

"_NO!"_

A scream ripped it's way out of his throat. Raw and enraged, his voice carried through the mountaintops, reaching Cassandra and the others with their main force, even the forward camp heard the pure declaration of hate and agony.

Leliana jumped in shock as she heard it, her bow snapping off her back with an arrow already nocked before letting it relax as she moved towards him cautiously, "Arthur-"

"_You would do well to shut your mouth."_

Her jaw dropped in shock before she looked at what she had in his hands. A small band of silver, intricately carved with flowing designs and a small emerald set into it. An emerald the exact shade of his own eyes.

"Arthur... we must move on... We have to reach the source of the explosion and meet up with the others. Then, after that, we can find whoever killed your..."

He stayed silent for a moment longer before he whispered, _"Sister... my only sister,"_ he took a deep, shuddering breath before his voice rasped out again, "Whoever caused this... whoever _killed_ my sweet, innocent sister... I will scatter their ashes to the wind after their blood drains into the Earth."

Leliana failed to suppress the minute shudder at hearing such a dark sentiment- no, promise. Arthur took one more deep, wracking breath before standing up unsteadily, and walking silently forward, Leliana only a few steps behind him.

They had just arrived at the center of the explosion when he heard Cassandra, "You're both here! Thank the Maker," she sounded utterly relieved, albeit with a hint of nervousness. Leliana nodded before ordering, "Cassandra, have your men take up positions around the temple. We must be ready for this." Cassandra nodded, before moving to the soldiers and giving directions for them.

Leliana turned back to Arthur saying, "This is your chance, are you sure you're okay?"

He merely nodded before making sure the soldiers were ready around him. From then, he moved down towards the center of the Breach before an echoing voice sounded around him, "Now is the hour of our victory. Bring forth the sacrifice."

He drew his blade in a flash, glaring around him for the sound of the voice, noting that Varric shivered at the sight of the Red Lyrium growing around them. Then the voice surrounded them again, "Keep the sacrifice still."

Arthur went still as the voice of Divine Justinia surrounded them, "Someone, help me!"

Leliana froze while Cassandra gasped out, "That is Divine Justinia's voice!" both her voice and her expression conveyed complete and utter desperation, wild hope that she was still alive.

It was an interesting experience for Arthur to hear his own voice around them, "What's going on here?"

Cassandra stared at him, shocked, "That was your voice! Most Holy called out to you. But..." a white light flashed throughout the temple, and a hazy and translucent image appeared. Staring at Divine Justinia in horror, was himself. The Divine yelled out, "Run while you can! Warn them!"

A dark figure with burning red eyes turned to the Arthur in the image, "We have an intruder. Kill him. Now." the images then fade out of existence, leaving Arthur staring at where they were and everyone else staring at him in a mixture of shock, accusation, and confusion.

Cassandra almost shouted out, "You _were_ there! Who attacked? And the Divine, is she...? Was this vision true? What are we seeing?"

Arthur's gaze returned to the ground as he racked his memory, or lack thereof, "I don't remember!"

Solas gazed around in almost wonder, "Echoes... echoes of what happened here. There is so little between our realm and the Fade, that it bleeds through the barrier into our world," he turned his gaze skyward, towards the Breach, "This rift is not sealed, but it is closed… albeit temporarily. I believe with the mark, the rift can be opened and then sealed properly and safely. However, opening the rift will likely attract attention from the other side."

Cassandra's blade hissed out of it's sheath as she shouted to the soldiers, "That means demons. Stand ready!" There was a brief bustle of motion as the soldiers standing with them drew their blades, and the archers on the walls around them nocked arrows. Arthur drew his blade himself and stared at it's dark, silver blade. _'This is all a result of that red-eyed piece of shit.'_ He held the blade out at his side as his power surged through the mark, slamming into the rift before him and opening it.

A massive, hulking shape formed in front of him, it's talons wickedly sharp and it's massive form built to shew blood and kill it's foes. A Pride Demon. The soldiers rushed forward, attacking it with valiant aggression, but none of their blades seemed to do anything besides attract the attention of the beast. The archer's arrows flew straight and true, but bounced off of the strange, spiky armor protecting it's body. Cassandra's voice sounded with desperation behind Arthur, "We must strip it of it's arcane defenses! Disrupt the Rift!" and Arthur did so, letting magic flow through him as it cut off the flow of power that the Rift received from the Fade. The Pride Demon briefly fell to it's knees, and the blades of the soldiers cut deep. It stood up again and roared, a primal sound that was the epitome of inhuman.

Lightning formed between the thing's monstrous hands, crackling and sparking before being released as a blast towards the soldier's attacking it's legs. Said soldiers keeled over as arcane lightning shot it's way through them, sending them convulsing to the ground for a few brief moments, while some never got up again. The Demon roared again as the archer's let loose another round of arrows, and a whip of _lightning_ lashed it's way out towards the nearest battlements and swept all of the bowmen off, sending them tumbling towards the ground below.

Arthur had been slaying lesser demons and shades for the duration of it's rampage so far, but that all changed as he saw who it's next target was. Leliana and the others, who had guarded his back and distracted the Pride Demon from attacking him. What he did next, he would later agree was one of the stupidest decisions he had ever made, but not one that he could bring himself to regret.

Time seemed to move in slow motion for him as electricity formed in both of it's hands separately, signaling it's goal to send whips of lightning towards them. He ran forward as fast as he could, faster than he had ever moved before. _'They'd never get away in time'_ was his structured thought as he dived forward and caught the two whips of lightning on his sword's blade, which he held at the handle and blade in an effort to maintain a better grip.

Pain. No, pain didn't even begin to _touch_ upon what he felt. Agony would have been heaven to him right then. Every single one of his nerve endings felt as though it was lit on fire and submerged in acid at the same time, and he fell to his knees screaming, his throat torn up and raw. He could feel the lightning moving, charring his skin in thin, black arcs as it seared through his very soul.

He somehow mustered the inhuman strength to pull the lightning into himself, letting his power, _his magic,_ wrap around it, controlling it, dulling the pain enough for him to stand. As his eyes opened, the world seemed as though it was viewed through a purple-tinted lens to him, and he reached out with his left hand to grab the strands of lightning wrapping around his blade, gritting his teeth at the sudden influx of agony and _power_, and yanked with every ounce of his inhuman strength.

The Demon fell to it's knees, and was dragged forward only a few short feet towards him; but it was enough. As it fell, Arthur lunged forward, stabbing forward as hard as he could towards the small, almost nonexistent chink in the Demon's armor, right in the center of it's chest. Black demon blood poured from the grievous wound, turning into a river as he twisted the sword in his hand and ripped it out of it's chest in a fountain of blood, and stabbing his blade into it's exposed throat, the force behind it pushing the demon down to the ground, pinning it to the ground with his sword.

He panted heavily for a few seconds, before forcing himself to stand. He walked; he walked unsteadily, shakily, and painfully towards the Rift, but he walked. The world was blessedly silent around him, the others in too much of a stupor to say anything, their jaws hanging in shock. He called on the magic again, sighing in relief as it uncoiled warmly and soothingly through him, dissipating the rift and closing the Breach. His last sight as he fell over, feeling unconsciousness overtake him, was Leliana and Cassandra shouting his name as they sprinted towards him.


	3. Chapter 2

**AN: Okay, so I've had a lot of shit to deal with lately, a lot of depression problems, and overall, a complete lack of inspiration and motivation. That said, I've been feeling better and I hope that you find this chapter enjoyable. Also, one of my friends posed the question, "Why was Arthur hurt so much when the lightning hit him, if he's so powerful?" While those who read this might not be curious, it's because he's tired, recovering from captivity, and he had literally no time to prepare at all if he wanted to save the others.**

**Chapter 2 – And his eyes opened (Gonna be from Leliana's perspective for this first part.)**

Leliana froze. The Nightingale froze. She who survived and helped end the Fifth Blight, who had saved Divine Justinia countless times, and whose name inspired fear in the hearts of countless people across all of Thedas; and she _froze_. As the lightning barreled towards her, she couldn't move, couldn't get out of the way, even though it was certain death for whomever was in the way of such devastation. Her last thought before dying would be, _'Wow... that _thing_ looks remarkably similar to Lucille Trevelyan...'_

A shadow blurred it's way across the crater, and halting suddenly right in front of the lighting, the mysterious person slamming their blade right in front of it.

And then... then the screaming began.

If Leliana hadn't known better, she would have thought it was another demon, one being burnt alive. However, she had heard a remarkably similarly cry to the heavens just earlier that day, only that one was out of rage.

_'Arthur...'_

She could only watch as Arthur fell to his knees, still screaming, lighting arcing it's way across his body. She could imagine the lines being ripped across his skin, before the screaming turned into harsh panting as Arthur managed to miraculously stand up and _grab_ the lighting tangled around his sword, letting out a painfully agonizing gasp as he did so, glowing with a harsh white light the entire time. Looking back, she would later recall how absolutely terrifying it was as Arthur yanked the Demon towards him and brutally killed it.

As he limped his way towards the breach, his right arm dangling uselessly as purple energy occasionally sparked it's way through it. The magic was thick in the air, almost palpable as he shut the Breach.

Then he collapsed.

She ran forward, screaming his name the entire time. She got to his body just at the same time as Cassandra, and started checking for a pulse. It was there. However weak, however faintly he was tied to this life, he remained in the land of the alive. "Get up and get me a _fucking_ _stretcher!_" Leliana screamed at the soldiers. They jumped out of their stupor and rushed around trying to find something to get him back to Haven. One of them had the gall to ask, "Why are we trying to get a stretcher for the _prisoner_," he spat the title out like it was something foul, "When there are more important wounded waiting here right now?" Within 5 seconds, Varric had primed an bolt, and shot it straight into his groin sending him plummeting to the ground screeching in agony as Leliana tried to keep Arthur alive long enough to get him to Haven with a small, emergency field kit.

Less than a minute later, two soldiers had returned, hastily putting a rough stretcher down and transferring his limp form onto it. They then, along with the rest of the people there, moved down the mountain battlefield that Varric and the others had come up, any stray demons being brutally dispatched by an angry Cassandra.

A little less than an hour later, the gates of Haven burst open, with Cassandra shouting, "Get me a bloody doctor right now!" The soldiers carrying Arthur hastily made their way to to an empty house nearby, and deposited the unconscious hero on the bed there as a doctor rushed in, his arms full with various medical supplies. Leliana posted two of her most trusted agents to watch and guard the house before entering the dwelling with Cassandra, to see the doctor struggling to pry the the inner layer of steel armor covering Arthur's torso, legs and arms even with it unbuckled and unfastened. The rest of it on the floor in a messy heap. Cassandra moved forward and tried to pry the armor off of him as Leliana neatly piled up the loose pieces on a table. Cassandra let out a small growl before holding Arthur down as pulled with all her formidable strength on the stubborn gear.

A disgusting ripping sound was heard throughout the house as a thin layer of skin and in a few parts, flesh, was ripped off with the chest-piece. Leliana let out a small gasp and the others let their jaws drop in shock and horror at the innumerable number of scars on his chest, not to mention the horrific patches of missing flesh that were there. The doctor was the first to recover his wits, used to dealing with this, "Lady Cassandra, get the rest of that armor off, no matter what it takes," as she stared at him in disbelief and a budding rage, he glared at her briefly, "Those small patches will recover quickly, but he will die if I don't have complete access to his body to fix it." She nodded slightly shakily before tearing the rest of it off, wincing every time another ripping sound was heard.

"Lady Nightingale, if you could stay here and help me keep him still as soon as Lady Cassandra is finished, I would be eternally grateful." Leliana nodded slightly, still staring in horror at the state of Arthur, as the doctor proceeded to give the two soldiers there with them orders to bring him certain supplies and medicines from the alchemist and surgeon.

Leliana put up a calm facade, "Will he be okay?"

The doctor simply raised an eyebrow at her in slight astonishment, "His armor has quite literally fused with him, _melted_ into him, and you ask if he's going to be okay? He has multiple broken bones, massive tissue and nerve damage, and burns to the point where it melted steel, and you ask if he's okay?" he shakes his head slightly, "The stories about your resolve do it no justice. Quite honestly, I have no idea if he's going to live, let alone remain able to fight. If he does wake up, then it's going to be at least a week before he can move."

Leliana winced internally, _'Am I really so cold-hearted? Perhaps I can let g- No. I don't have that luxury, all that matters is whether or not he will be able to assist us in closing the Breach permanently.'_ Despite her insistence's, she couldn't shake the thought off her mind. A week was pushing it, but they could remain afloat in the meantime. If barely.

**Time Skip (Around a day and a half)**

Leliana sighed again as she started towards the cabin. She couldn't help but feel as though there were more important things that she could be working on than feeding a comatose and unmoving priso-_hero_, but everyone else who she could trust was busy with something else, leaving her to take care of him.

She stopped by the tavern, ordering a rather hearty stew that was the day's lunch. She grabbed it, leaving a second later. She was never particularly fond of the rowdy nature of most taverns. She walked briskly across the messy, sprawling nature of Haven, nodding to a few of her agents along the way. As she arrived, she pulled one of the guards aside, "Has anyone entered the building since the doctor left?"

"No milady, the dwelling has remained empty of all others, excluding the patient."

"Good. Continue your watch, send someone if anyone tries to enter," she gives him a slight nod and moves to the door as he salutes. She opens it, taking care to close it behind her, preventing the winter's chill from worsening his condition. She turns around and feels her face go slack, her eyes widen, and her other hand fall loosely to her side.

There, sitting up on the bed with his eyes closed and his face scrunched up in concentration, is Arthur, his wounds vanishing right before her eyes. Bones realign, cuts and slashes seal up, burnt and charred flesh and skin turning alive and being sealed back onto it's home on his body, the electrical arcs dancing across his skin turning back into a healthy, if pale, color. Then his eyes opened,

His eyes glowed with power, the normally forest green gems aglow from within, darkening them and giving them the appearance of an otherworldly spirit; and then he turned to her.

He smiled slightly, his eyes dancing with mirth, "Hello Nightingale, would you mind telling me where I am? The last thing I remember is sealing the Breach."

The bowl hit the floor.


	4. Chapter 3

**AN: Once again, I'm working on changing my attitude and resolve. If all goes according to plan, I should be updating once every 1-2 weeks. I've always been a bit of a perfectionist. That said, please rate and review. I'm perfectly willing to look at suggestions and tips, even character ideas and behaviors. Also, I can't do every mission, every interaction, as it's just too much. I'll be focusing on main quests, Leliana, and occasional fun/cool moments. That said, Enjoy!**

**Chapter 3 (Will be Arthur's perspective this time)**

Arthur was struggling to hold in his mirth at the pure, utter, and complete shock on the Nightingale's face. He later would swear that he never snorted as the bowl crashed into the floor as it fell from her slack hands, mostly due to his fear of Leliana's retribution if he did so. Successfully holding his laughter back, he asked, "Yes? Is there something I should be made aware of? That which can shatter the infamous Leliana's composure must be something special."

Her face shifted from shock to entirely unamused, "You had better pray to all that is holy that I am currently dreaming, for if you are not on that bed, lying down, and resting within the next 5 seconds, then you're going to wish you were unconscious."

Now, being a remotely intelligent man and understanding that she was entirely serious, Arthur was on that bed and under the woven sheets so quickly, he may as well have never been up; and while he wanted to wipe that _infuriating_, albeit breathtakingly beautiful, smirk off her face, he did in fact value his life.

"Good boy. Glad to see you are not so weak-willed as to forgo your resolve to never get on my bad side. Now, would be so kind as to answer a few of my queries?"

_'Good lord, that smile is completely and utterly unfair'_ were his thoughts before answering, "Of course, as long as you can extend be the same courtesy?"

"Should they be within my capabilities to answer them, I see no harm in that. Now, what do you last remember?" she was straight down to business, despite the wordplay between the two of them.

"Well, I seem to remember doing something incredibly stupid," her lips quirked as he said this, "and jumped directly in the path of the equivalent of a lightning bolt, and then sealed the breach."

"Yes, and in doing so, you saved my life. A claim very few can ever state truthfully. That aside, you have my thanks, were it not for you, I and quite a few others would be dead," he nods back to her in acknowledgment, "Now, how did you manage to do so? Besides the fact that you are not dead, and rather unharmed from the looks of it, it should have been impossible to do such a thing, not unless you were a mage of the highest caliber."

Arthur's hesitation was palpable, his desire for secrecy competing with his innate honest nature. In the end, he decided on the former, "I'm sorry, but I can't tell how I did it. That would be revealing secrets which, while mine to reveal, are not within my current interests to tell," he could only hope that she didn't take it too poorly.

She raised a cool eyebrow, but he could see the faint smirk etched upon her lips, "I see. In that case, will you at the least tell me why you did it?"

He sighed, "However dull it may sound, it was the right thing to do. I was not raised, not trained to abandon those who needed me. You and the others required help, and should my life be sacrificed to another, then I will have lived nobly."

She had an unreadable expression on her face, before nodding and standing up to leave. Her paused as she opened the door, "Should you feel up to it, there should be a meeting relatively soon. As the one who has been christened, 'The Herald of Andraste', your input would be most welcome," and with that she left, leaving Arthur flabbergasted. Just as she rushed out, he knocked himself out of his stupor and ran after her.

Arthur dashed towards the exit, attempting to compose himself on the way to the Chantry. His emotions were fraught with depression and sorrow, but he would put on a mask for everyone else. He would let no one see him for what he truly was. With that in mind, and with only a second's hesitation, he donned his armor, and left the building.

**Time Skip To Meeting**

Arthur pushed the door open gently, triggering the rest of them to stop talking and wait on him. He walked forward and stood at the middle of the War Table, "What's the course of action?"

Cullen put his hands in front of him and began, "We've settled the beginning plan. We must establish our protection of the Hinterlands. However, we need your participation in this, and we have a request of you."

Leliana spoke softly, "The Inquisition must be reborn, and we're asking you to join it," she held up her hand to forestall his interruption, "with the Herald of Andraste on our side, we stand a much greater chance of saving Thedas."

Arthur slowly closed his mouth. They were right. While many factions may view the 'Inquisition' as a bunch of children throwing a tantrum, if the were to have someone christened 'The Herald of Andraste' on their side, they would become a serious threat to their power. Should it at some point be discovered that the Herald was the very last of the High Templar's, champion warriors of the Templar Order, unfathomably powerful and skilled combatants? They'd be unstoppable. That could _never_ be discovered by the populace.

That would never happen though.

Arthur nodded once, "I can see your point. If my presence will truly help the Inquisition, then you have me by your side. You have my word."

They all nodded, accepting his word for what it was. Leliana then spoke up, "Then I declare the Inquisition reborn."

Arthur had a thought practically slam into his mind, "What's the first course of action?" he asked to the now quiet room.

Cullen spoke up, "We're heading to the Hinterlands. The war between the rebel Mages and the rogue Templar's is strongest there. It's also home to Mother Giselle, who we need on our side."

Arthur nodded and then hesitated for a split second, "There's something I must retrieve in the Hinterlands. It is of great importance to me, and it will be of great importance to the inquisition when it is revealed."

Leliana's head quirked slightly, as she spoke liltingly, "What is this object? I can send a few scouts to retr-"

"No! No, this is something that I will do myself. Not due to a lack of trust in your agents Leliana, but due to a desire for privacy in this matter," He let out a sigh before continuing, "I'm afraid that what I will be retrieving must _not_ become common knowledge."

Her eyebrow arched delicately as her mild suspicion became apparent, "And why should we not be privy to this knowledge? From what I can tell, you are bringing a foreign object into the heart of the Inquisition."

He huffed mildly, "It's not due to sabotage or risk. If you must know, it's my original armor and arms."

Now both of her eyebrows, along with those belonging to Josephine, were high, "You wish to divert your attention, which could be focused on stopping the outright war taking place in the Hinterlands, to retrieve what, a rusty suit of mail and a dagger?!" Josephine's voice had risen to a pitch near the end of her statement, expressing her incredulity.

Arthur's gaze turned noticeably colder as a wryly amused grin spread across his face, "Oh if you knew what I was retrieving, that would be the last thing you'd say. As it is, I swear that when the time comes, you will understand."


End file.
